How to account for income tax expense with a credit

We calculated our income tax expense for 2008. It is 1,500,000. We have a 3,000,000 deferred income tax asset which we can use to offset our income tax expense in 2008. I am uncertain whether our tax expense would be recorded as 1,500,000 because that is the amount we would need to pay if we didn't have the DTA, or whether it would be 0 because we are using the tax asset credit.

Brenda Miller